I Don't Have Time...

I don't have time

We're all busy. I'm sure we have all seen multiple influencers telling us to make time, be dedicated and to prioritise exercise. Get up at 5am and work all night but also get 8 hours of sleep, eat well and treat your body as a temple (talk about a contradiction!).

It's not that simple right? Especially when we are just starting out or trying to make a change. When we are busy, set in habits (good or bad), it can be hard to see the wood from the trees. Change is hard, it always has been.

So how do we make time? Here are some top tips:

• Find a friend - it can be scary walking into a new environment for the first time but walking into a CrossFit Affiliate, Spin Class etc with a friend firstly can ease the anxiety but secondly your much less likely to back out or find an excuse not to go if you are committed to doing it with a friend (Don't worry though, if you can't find someone to go with walking into a CrossFit Affiliate isn't nearly as scary as you might thing!)

• Get it done early - I hate to say it but getting your exercise in early works, and yes it might mean getting up and going to bed a bit earlier. The thing is when it's done, it's done. I try and do two sessions a day, one first thing in the morning and one after work, every now and again I get legitimately busy (it could be a late meeting at work, something my partner needs from me or that the phone rings and a good friend wants to catch up or more recently coaching on a Monday night meaning it's just not really feasible). But I have got my main workout in, I have still improved and got my body moving. Think of it like this, if you put money into your savings as soon as you get paid rather than seeing what you have left at the end of the month you are more likely to hit your saving goal.

• Start with a little - If your starting from nothing a gruelling workout can be intimidating and in the wrong environment demotivating, potentially enough so to put you off for good. Start with 10 minutes of moving, a brisk walk or following a beginner yoga tutorial on YouTube. Start small, embed the habit and build from there.

• Find ways to fit it in with life - Be creative with your time, yoga in front of the TV - great, taking a walk whilst listening to a seminar or meeting you don't have to contribute to or on the phone to a friend - perfect, doing  5 minutes of press ups every hour between meetings - why not! The moral of the story is, to begin with, all movement is good movement.

• Be realistic with your time - It's easy to make an unrealistic plan that is going to put  you under a load of time pressure. Plan in what you know you can commit to and stick to it (remember to start small if you need to). It's better to have small wins than the demotivating feeling of not accomplishing what you set out to.

• Get Help - This can be as simple as telling people what you want to achieve so they hold you accountable to it. It could be a pact you make with a friend. Of course it could be that you reach out to a coach, someone to help you get started on your journey and set you up for long term success (whatever success looks like for you!).

Most importantly, whatever you do, have fun, be happy and don't forget to celebrate and reward your successes.

If you do need some help to get started, restarted or refocused on your journey then why not reach out to a coach to see how they can help you

Andy @ ACrew